Northwind Imperial Stout

From tap at Gingerman. Pours pitch black with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted dark malt and slight vanilla. Roasted, sweet and dark malty. Bitter and dark roasted. Smooth, dark roasted malt and slight liqourice. Dark malty and roasted into the finish.

For some reason i was expecting a witbier, wew what a surprize. Big thick pour with scary chunks of small bits suspended in this blackish brown beer. Yes, very frightening looken brew. Thin tan scum on top. Big coffee aroma, or at least medium smell of coffee. Strong smooth creamy initial effect on the palate, much more drinkable than I predicted. Yep, could make one forget about the north wind in some aspects. Vey little carbonation but it does come across a little creamy between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. Does not seem to be much more than 5% so I guess it hides its alky well for an eight point five percenter. Yes. weird bits thing going on in the appearance makes it gel like looking in the glass but it is not too jelly on the palate. More smooth I’d say. Now I think I detect a tad of tartness in there, one of my favorite things when it comes to beers. Yes, it has a wild hair! KOOL. not as good as Mad Brewer Black Storm, Southern Tier Choklat or Boaks Monster Mash Imperial Stout but pretty good in its own rite as far as impy stout goes. Probably should be styled as a sweet or dry stout. Leaves no lacing on the glass, just an oily looking residue. This is probably what I wish my used shovel head oil looks and taste like. Enjoyable to an extent for a impy stout. Affirmative, an interesting weird looking beer.

Cask at Barcade, Brooklyn. It pours very dark ruby-black with a decent foamy tan head and soft carbonation. Then nose is smoke, caramel, soy sauce and sesame seed. The taste is dark chocolate, cherry, caramel, toffee, coffee, charcoal, soy sauce and sesame seed. Not the most complex imperial stout and too much soy sauce coming through.

Bottle. So after quite a few disappointing beers from Two Brothers, I picked this one up and thought that (at the very least) the label was pretty cool. Pouring it reveals a slightly viscous dark brown body with a picture perfect foamy tan head. Aromas are OK, but pretty unidirectional... coffee and chocolate with a little bit of cream. First sip is similar and I find myself appreciating this more than I expected. It’s not a world-beater, and as it warms a bit it seems to lose a little of its intensity and come across as washed out, but it’s a good stout for the dead of winter.

Bottle at the Ginger Man in NYC. Pours black. Nose and taste of roasted chocolate malts, cocoa, vanilla and burnt coffee.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Pours thick black with a strong, tan head. Heavy roasted malt aroma with cocoa powder, dark chocolate and dark fruits. Sweet flavor with dark malts and chocolate, along with some faint bitterness. Full in body with average carbonation. Finishes sweet with lingering dry roast. Very decent Imperial Stout.

Bottle. Pours a black color with a small off-white head. Has a roasted malty chocolate aroma. Roasted malty chocolate flavor with some hints of licorice. Has a roasted malty chocolate finish.

Bottle. Pours black with a thin medium brown head that lasts. Aroma is a bit one note and full of roasted malts. Flavor begins a bit weak but roasted malts build throughout, though one note again.

Poured from the bottle, pours pure black with a Oatmeal Stout-esque head that dissipates rather quickly. Rather carbonated for a RIS, aroma is faint and smells malty. Taste has a hint of coffee with roasted malt. Not bad, but much better offerings are out there for the style.

Bottled@Monks Café Sveavägen, Stockholm. Quite much pitch black colour, small brown head. Aroma is liquorice, toasted malts, toffee and some mild ashyness as well. Flavour is quite similar. Yet being quite balanced.